BJP used Pulwama attack, Balakot air strike to win 2019 LS polls: Ex-Tripura CM Manik Sarkar

Agartala, Apr 23 (PTI) The BJP had “used” the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the consequent air strike at Balakot in the neighbouring country to win the Lok Sabha polls that year, former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar claimed on Sunday.

Sarkar made the claim days after former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik, alleged that the Pulwama terror attack was a result of “systemic failure, involving gross security and intelligence lapses”.

A terror attack was carried out in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir by a suicide bomber on February 14, 2019 resulting in the death of 40 CRPF personnel.

“Using the atmosphere, they (BJP) won the 2019 Lok Sabha election and it is Satya Pal Malik, who was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir when the incident took place, is now speaking about it,” Sarkar said at a party programme here.

Soon after the Balakot incident, the CPI(M) had expressed doubt and asserted that there was a “deep-rooted conspiracy” behind the incident before the general election held in April-May that year to overshadow other burning issues like unemployment.

India’s war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Pakistan’s Balakot on February 26, 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

Expressing surprise over Malik’s interview, Sarkar said the Prime Minister, Home Minister and National Security Advisor are now “observing silence”.

Former army chief Gen (retd) Shankar Roychowdhury has also raised concerns over the issue, he said.

“After the former Governor gave the interview, I was thinking that he would be summoned by the CBI and it proved to be correct as he was asked to appear before the federal investigating agency on a case related to an alleged insurance scam,” Sarkar said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked Malik to answer certain queries in connection with an alleged insurance scam in Jammu and Kashmir.

The CBI move comes barely a week after Malik gave an interview to “The Wire”, in which he made critical remarks about the BJP-led Centre, especially regarding its handling of Jammu and Kashmir where he served as the last governor before the erstwhile state was bifurcated into Union territories.

Claiming that the country has for the first time experienced such a “reactionary government”, the CPI(M) politburo member said the BJP can be defeated if people come together.

“In Tripura, 60 per cent of voters did not support them (BJP) in the recent Assembly elections. Political force, Tipra Motha which openly criticised the BJP, helped the saffron party to win the polls”, he said.